Gigas Magna: Planet of Shadows
This story takes place on Gigas Magna 10 years before the Gigas Magna Civil War. It tells the story of the Enforcers of Gigas Magna during The Purge. Prologue A dimensional portal opened, and out stepped a Makuta wearing a Kanohi Olmak. He removed it to reveal a Taiku. Behind him were a group of beings including a Rahkshi-Skakdi fusion, two Toa of Shadow, a Mechanical Rahkshi, a mutated Skrall, and the leader of the whole group: Makuta Spinorak. "Go," said the insectoid Makuta, and he watched as his small army laid waste to the unsuspecting villagers of the only settlement on the southern continent. He smiled as he walked on his four insectoid legs towards the burning settlement. He could hear the sound of the waves gently crashing on the white sandy beaches, however, the sound was disturbed by Spinorak's second in command. "The plan is ready." "Than let it begin," replied the green Makuta. Chapter 1 Mordrax dipped a writhing Sea Squid into the vat of antidermis. As he watched, it started convulsing in strange spasms, and began growing a black skin. It was changing... morphing... into a large, amphibious, mouth. Mordrax sighed and stabbed it. So many failures lay in the life of a Rahi creator, but there were some successes... the Hydruka Nui, for example. Even so, his bestial face failed to hide his annoyance. There was, suddenly, a polite knock on the door. Unsure why anyone would want to disturb a Rahi creator in the middle of nowhere, he stayed inside. He expected them to blow down the door with a well-placed kick, but he certainly didn't expect the little stone building to be completely vaporized. "Spinorak wants you," said a wisp of smoke... for it appeared that the smoke was talking, until it silently reformed itself into a Toa of Shadow. "I suggest you go to him. Doing otherwise is at your own peril." "What are you?" "Nightwatcher. Toa of Shadow. Dimensional traveler. You can also refer to me as your death, if you insist on standing there and goggling like an idiot, because you make a sorely tempting target." "Very well," said Mordrax. "What do you want me to do?" Chapter 2 Forsk lazily walked on the beach of Gigas Magna's southern continent. He, Fyxan, and Brominax, as the leaders of the Enforcers of Gigas Magna, were having a top-secret meeting at an even more top-secret location. He just hoped that he had gone to the right top-secret location. Suddenly, a white being appeared out of nowhere in front of him, and then a tall, multicolored one appeared next to them both. "Hello, Brominax," Forsk hissed. They paced slowly on the beach. "What's this meeting about?" pestered Forsk. "What could be so important that we have to abandon the council chamber?" Fyxan glared at him. It annoyed Forsk. He was the vice-leader of the organization, and he should be treated with more respect by Fyxan, who, indeed, had a lower rank than he. Brominax finally chose to speak. "We have assigned many Toa to protect Matoran settlements." "True," said Fyxan. Forsk glared back. "Most of the Matoran, except for those working for us, are unaware that we are the ones behind the scenes. I suggest that we let them know." "What?" said Fyxan. "We've been in hiding for thousands of years!" "So we assume control of the planet and rule as a dictatorship?" asked Forsk, who liked the idea. "No," Brominax answered, apparently disgusted. "We work alongside the Matoran, and form a peaceful, cooperating, society." "I think it would be a good idea," said Forsk. "I mean, we're the most powerful! We have a right to rule! We have a right to power!" "Forsk..." warned Fyxan, but Forsk's hatred for the Kodax merely increased his passion. "We should do it! It would be peaceful still! We would keep the Matoran safe, but have them abide by our laws, our rules, our—!" "No," said Brominax. That was the final straw. In a rage, Forsk jumped at Brominax and sliced at him with his Power Staff. However, he never reached his target, for Fyxan had activated his teleportation power and made him vanish to a distant piece of Gigas Magna. "Bad idea," hissed a figure. "If you want to defeat my forces, you don't want to get rid of any of your friends, treacherous or not. You'll need them. Not that you can defeat my forces anyway." For, surrounding the figure and slowly inching toward the Enforcers, there was a vast army of Kraata with a sole purpose, which was being communicated among the slimy worms: Bring this land to darkness. Chapter 3 Spinorak was smiling to himself, a rarity for the warlord Makuta. He could feel the cold of the shadows enveloping the continent and the surrounding islands. He whipped around. "Skraaki? Is he here yet?" "Yes," managed the half-robotic creature. "Then let him in," said Spinorak, annoyed. At the front gate of Spinorak's new base, Nightwatcher approached the gate with Mordax. "Let us in." Normally, Shadrus would ask for identification, but he knew how much more powerful Hightwatcher was than he, despite them both being Toa of Shadow. "Go ahead," said Shadrus. The two beings approached Spinorak as he said in a menacing tone, "Hello, Mordax. Hopefully, we will continue to see you after this meeting, because otherwise, no one will." ---- Four Toa were desperately trying to run from their former teammates, now Toa of Shadow. A Nui-Rama dived, dropping a Tridax Pod. The Toa ran, but a leech managed to latch on to one, sucking his light and making him into a Toa of Shadow. The three remaining Toa kept running, only to find their escape route blocked by Nui-Jaga. Shayla, the Toa of Water, jumped into the water as the Rahi prepared to strike. She was safe, or so she thought, until the dark shapes shot Tridax Pods with aquatic leeches. When she jumped out of the water, she saw her two teammates back-to-back, fighting Toa, leeches, and Rahi. "Welcome to the shadows," said Shayla, blasting one down as the kraata progressed toward them. Chapter 5 Fyxan and Brominax fought for their lives against a barrage of Tridax pods. They had been driven to the coast of the island, and they had been conveniently placed in an anti-teleportation bubble. "Well," said Fyxan, whose arms were rapidly moving to block the storm of Tridax pods, "we have to hope that they run out of these things sometime soon." Brominax snorted. "Ligkily, I've got an idea. How far can you jump?" Suddenly, Fyxan grabbed the Great Being and made an enormous leap. They landed outside of the teleportation bubble in the water. "Let's go now to Gigas Nui," said Fyxan, "and warn them." He activated his Olmax and vanished. ---- "Our powers are great, Mordrax," said Spinorak to the Kodax. "We must now find a way to use them. I am told that we have killed off half of the Enforcers. Half! Soon, we shall have the great capital city of Tenik Nui, and then the entire planet shall be mine. But the Enforcers still live." "Then," said the Kodax, eyes gleaming, "kill them." "What do you intend, Mordrax?" "Listen to me. I want you to do exactly what I say. This is my plan, and I think that it can get rid of the Enforcers once and for all..." ---- A cloud of smoke rose from the wretched, fiery remains of the Enforcer city of Gigas Nui. Even from the outside of the bubble that shielded the city from teleportation, the message was clear. "Gigas Nui has fallen!" cried Fyxan. "Then we must find the source of this disaster," said Brominax. "And I think I know where to look." Chapter 6 The Enforcer record-keeper Boreal stepped, weakened, over the ruins of Gigas Nui. His green armor was easy to spot in the light. "What happened?" demanded Brominax. "Kraata...leeches...a Vorox. Oh, that Vorox..." "What happened?" "Sixty dead...others fled...nowhere to run but Tenik Nui...Striking next...almost entire planet his..." It was clear that the Toa of Air was delirious. Suddenly, something in him snapped. "Water, I quick-need some water! Hurry-go!" Boreal passed out. The three Enforcers went to a lake and dunked his head in. Boreal began to speak. "You see, we were attacked. This Vorox was leading an army of Shadow Leeches and Rahi...but the Vorox could talk. It said that it wanted to exterminate our kind...it said it would keep me alive until you found me and I told you about it, so you could have the sensation of fear before you died." "Who's dead?" "You." And the Vorox, speaking through Boreal with his Mind Control power, launched himself right at the Enforcers' backs, appearance heralded by a storm of Tridax pods from above. Chapter 7 A thousand Toa of Shadow marched out of the door of Spinorak's fortress. Spinorak smiled as he and Mordrax stood, looking down over the wall at the gathering army. "Scorpius is doing well. These are the latest recruits, ready and willing to march on Tenik Nui. If I have heard correctly, all the Enforcers of Gigas Magna that survived the sacking of their city are gathering there." "Nightwatcher made a good decision when he brought that Vorox to us." Mordrax paused and frowned. "But suppose he should try to seize too much power?" "We would kill him." "Who, then, would command the armies?" Spinorak smiled again. "Come out, Shayla." A heavily armored Toa of Shadow stepped out of the shadows. "She was a Toa of Water before we... found her. I ordered my engineers to make a few modifications to her. She is very deadly, I believe, and her aim never misses, due to the laser power we gave her. She is the perfect solider." "Is she a leader, though?" "Not a leader," the mutated Makuta said of the silently standing figure. "A commander. And that makes all the difference." ---- Fyxan fired a blast of light as fast as he could, prying the Vorox off of Brominax, who was bleeding from the wound. "Don't you see you are helpless? Your order will be gone by the morning!" He fired a Thornax at Fyxan, wounding him. The two started running away from the lake, unable to teleport, while the beast chased them. "I am Scorpius. You will know death." "You first," said Brominax. "You are so confident," the Vorox laughed. "Yet even you cannot stand against an entire army." And out of the sky dropped a small fleet of spaceships, pointing their plasma weapons at the small group below them. Scorpius levitated himself up, out of range of the explosion that would take place when the ships fired. "Good-bye," he said. ---- Forsk wearily paced the desert of Gigas Magna. He was lost and confused, and quite miserable. He had no idea what had happened to him, but it had not been he that had attacked Brominax. Someone else had been inhabiting his body, that much he knew. But what could he do? Absolutely nothing, little fool. Forsk turned around, but the source of the voice was not to be seen. I am a long way away, on another planet entirely. Do not be afraid. I have a use for you, and luckily for you, Antidax keeps those that he needs alive. "What do you want?" I want your complete and utter cooperation. Now listen, idiot, this is what I want you to do...